I was wondering if "the girl from Saskatoon" is as big in Canada as she is in the US, or the rest of the world for that matter. My ipod is full of her beautiful music, and I have had a love affair with her for over 40 years.

If I have to tell you her name then the answer must be no.

Are you talking about Joni? Here in Alberta, we think of her as the girl from Fort McLeod (but she was only born there and really is a Saskatoon girl).

If not, Joni, then who?

John

John
I kinda figured that you would be hip enough to know about this Canadian resourse. In Philadelphia she is a legend, and the only thing that we know about Saskatoon is that it is the home of Joni Mitchell, but I was under the impression that she was not as popular in Canada as she is in the rest of the world. Joni Mitchell has sold out theaters in Philadelphia in less than an hour.

We have a sad habit of eating our young in this country. In certain circles, Joni is huge but her mainstream popularity is not what it used to be.

She's part of an amazing generation of Canadian singer-songwriters from the late 60s, notably Joni, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Gordon Lightfoot, Buffy Ste-Marie and Bruce Cockburn.

But I'll tell you, I'm still blown away by Joni's rethinking of "Both Sides Now" in 2000. What a difference a lifetime has made to her interpretation of this brilliant song.

John

John
In Philadelphia she is as big as Bruce Springstein. She is also Sir Elton John's favorite song writer. In my opinion Joni Mitchell is right up there with Mr Zimmerman, and they both occupy the most space on my ipod.

What about Rush? I've heard varying accounts.

I like Rush, the band. The idiot on the radio could lose his voice, that would also be cool. Then I would by his "books" on tape.

What about Rush? They aren't from Saskatoon. Or are you asking about their status in Canada? To answer that: they have been huge for a long time.

John

Unbelievable list. Such remarkable talent. But also personally relevant to me, for I find them all...well...nutritious. Yes, that's the word I'd choose.



"Both Sides Now" is simply at the top of my all time favorite songs. So it really jerks me from my regular comprehension of the song to hear her sing it the way she does--with an orchestra rather than guitar!--in John's link.

Still, it is food for thought. No, food for the soul.

Thank you very much for that link, John.

You are welcome. Thanks for sharing your experience with me. I first heard that version on the radio several years ago back-to-back with the 1970 version. I have been haunted since.

John

Josh
Rush is a three piece power rock band that has a singer with a very squeaky voice, they are no folk singers.

Please don't correct my spelling, or punctuation this time my friend.

Al,

Thanks for the clarification, I'm wholly aware of who Rush is, however. It's just that I've known Canadians who have both loved them and hated them - since the thread title was vague enough and music was the subject, I thought I'd squeeze my way in. At least I didn't ask about the McKenzie brothers, eh?

And no worries, I've no intention of pointing out grammatical errors on this forum again.

Josh
I apreciate it. Has Rush done anything in the past ten years?

They release a new album from time-to-time, I believe they released a new one recently and their tour this summer will be promoting it. Neil Peart has also written a couple of books.

Josh
Who are the McKenzie brothers?

What part of Canada does Tegan & Sara come from, and are they twins?

Bob and Doug McKenzie, played by Dave Barry and Rick Moranis, were characters from SC-TV in the 80s, Canada's equivalent of Saturday Night Live. Story goes that the government wanted there to be more "Canadian" programming so, in response, their sketches were created, which lampooned every Canadian stereotype. (Showing here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsgVspgy184)

For the rest...I have no idea and would only end up Googling them.

Now I remember the McKenzie brothers. I thought that they were some Canadian teen aged singing group that I never heard of.

Al, some other stars that came out SCTV (who you may have seen in movies etc) were John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, and Martin Short.
'The Second City' (which started in Chicago and eventually expanded to Toronto and LA) provided a whole bunch of sketch comedy players to both SNL and SCTV.

Rush is a group that I appreciated more in my youth than now.
As a Manitoban, the Guess Who remain the big group from Canada for me. And then Bachman Turner Overdrive.
As for Jonie, I like her, certainly more than some other warblers we inflict on Vegas...
Its only been the past few years that I've looked at the work of Leonard Cohen, and very impressed by him.
Michelle Wright for Country music, Holly Cole for Jazz type stuff.
The Frantics for comedy.

Blue is one of my favourite records. I didn't know BTO were Canadian, my mate called them the beer gut band. Takin' care of business still makes me smile when it comes on the radio. Larm clock